Thursday, December 29, 2016

I've said this before but I gotta say it again, homemade fermented veggies kick the asses of every store-bought, ready-made jar, I've ever eaten. And I've eaten a lot. Not only that but the cost comparison isn't even on the same planet.

Friday, December 23, 2016

Even with 95 percent gone, the kitchen still has a lot of stuff. It's my office, lab and home kitchen. And if I'm REALLY honest, there are some baking toys that I haven't used since I decluttered 34 weeks ago.

Today I pull EVERYTHING out of the kitchen (again), and see what (if anything), I'm willing to let go of.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

For all the allergies that I no longer have (thank you immune system), I'm still not able to handle corn. I test it every so often, but I'm not there yet. So I make due by drizzling these with melted unscented coconut oil and a sprinkle of Kosher salt and cayenne powder.

The chunky carrots are my first ever brine-water test batch. Not sure if that's what it's called, still learning the words. The rest are regular ferments mixed with napa cabbage, spices and the two outer ones have onions. No set formulas. Just chop, season, taste, smash, protect water line, close lid, wait.

Monday, December 19, 2016

I'm struggling with where to store our quick-turnover room temperature produce like bananas, potatoes and onions. Tim cleared a bookcase but put I my cookery and bake books there, along with waters on the bottom. I just can't figure this one out.

Friday, December 16, 2016

I eat fermented veggies for my gut bugs but up until this week, I bought them. Now after making my first jar there's nooooo going back. Sooooo many combinations. Sooooo much fun. And soooo soooo much cheaper.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Next to me is the biggest cuppa free from dairy hot chocolate in the history of ever. So flippin' good. Before this, I removed what clothes I had left and you know what? Everything I own fits into one large laundry basket. And yet, there are a few items I'm not wearing. Like my Batman shirt. I like it, but I don't wear it. Now my Captain America, Halloween and zombie shirts, I wear those all the time.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

I made laundry soap for the first time and oh my gosh, does it work. It gets clothes so flippin' clean. Didn't smell enough of the lemon but the fabric was super clean and no static! OMG. I will never use store-bought again.

EVER!!!!!

In other news, the pile of KEEPS from yesterday's post, is coming along well. I'll write more when I'm done.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

I'm playing around with homemade shampoos because each time I go to buy ready-made poo, I get disgusted by the ingredients. So today, I made dry shampoo with arrowroot and cocoa powder. I smell like a giant Willy Wonka Bar.

Friday, October 07, 2016

With all the demo and repairs going on, this Halloween season is whooshing past me. So in the spirit of spooky, gross and fun things, tell us what these are and win a broken broom stick, a cracked cauldron and a wart.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Yesterday, I wasn't able to do what I wanted so I switched gears and worked on my whitebox (for food photos). I'm having a terrible time with white backgrounds looking blue. If you know how to remove the blue, please drop me a note. Thanks.

Today, I've spent the morning on the couch, but I'm starting to feel better. Two years ago, if I had to stop and rest like this it might have made me cranky. But these days, I don't have that cluttered thinking.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

People ask me if I miss anything or if I regret letting go of 90 percent of my stuff.

No. I miss nothing. I regret nothing.

If I did, I'd write about it. Instead, I'm finding more can go. So far today, it's a duster, 8 CD's, a glass baking dish and a Rubbermaid container with lid. All things I originally wanted to keep but now, I'm happy to see go.

During this entire process I never put pressure on myself, I played by my own rules and I didn't get rid of something that I didn't want to let go of.

Also, I was ready.

All of those things, plus more, exploded into a new life. Which, I'll save for another post. Because it's time to crank the Halloween music and get a room ready to paint.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Back in May, we sold our guitars (that we no longer wanted), for 200 smackers and last week, our phones were on sale for $80 each. When we couldn't get the phones ordered online (to save $50 in activation fees), I went to the store and asked if they would waive the fees and they said, "YES". When we were done paying for everything, they tossed in two free cases.

Holy ding dong. What a deal.

In other news, we're outside, both wearing big hoodies (burr). Tim's writing and I'm playing online. Soon to enjoy another bagel. Speaking of which, here's a text I sent earlier to my friends and family.

Friday, September 09, 2016

It's nearly 4 and I'm still in my jams. Been playing with my new phone all morning and I haven't gotten ANYTHING done. Unless you include downloading Bryan Adams and Halloween music to my new phone. Plus, making a homemade chocolate bar - which I may or may not have already eaten half.

Yesterday, I donated another BIG BOX of stuff and last Friday a trunk-load along with some in the back seat. I'm past the 90 percent mark and still ...

Wednesday, September 07, 2016

Today, I peeled paint and wallpaper off the walls, baked an apple crumble, scrubbed the crappers and prepped tomorrow's breakfast. Only, not in that order.

This past weekend, I removed the much taller than me, bathroom cabinet. See the second photo for the footprint (taken after removal). Those little flowers came with the trailer. I hate those flowers. They were every flippin' where.

They gotta go.

And lastly, the first photo was from today's lunch. Tell us what is and win homemade flatbread and a pair of orange clogs.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

I was gonna head to Erie (30 minutes north), but with the morning rain, I decided to stay local. Now I'm about to remove all my cookery/bake stuff from under the sink so that the area can fully dry (from the leak).

Meanwhile, I've got Bryan Adams cranked and I'm wearing my Halloween shirt. You know why? Because I love Halloween and the only shirts I have left are the ones that I love to wear, year-round.

In other news, I'm making homemade peanut butter. Well, not me, the food processor is doing all the work, but I helped.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

We have the air off and the windows OPEN with a breeze blowing through. The oven has been on once (made more jalapeno crackers for breakfast), and soon blueberry hand-pies. I love blueberries but I've never made blueberry pie.

That changes, today.

You know what else? I wrote a lot before, formulas/bakes/recipes. But now ... with 90 percent of my stuff gone, I write MORE. I don't have to move my piles of paper from one spot to another. Instead, I get to work.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

It's Saturday night and our butts are parked at Barnes. At home, tonight's supper is prepped and ready. And earlier today, after the Farmer's Market, I wrote and baked draft 1 of the bestest ever, jalapeno crackers.

In other news, here are the newly-stained bedroom closet doors, first coat. Not to be confused with the closet from the Lemon Tart Room. That closet ain't EVER coming back. Anyway, here's what we did today.